I’m back again with yet another meatball recipe for you (for us, really)! I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to come up with new ways to reinvent them. I love meatballs because they’re extremely versatile, economical (due to the ground protein), and are usually super quick to put together, which makes them perfect for weeknight meals. The last time I talked about meatballs it was for these Chicken Marsala Meatballs, and you all really seemed to love them as much as I do. And if you’re keeping track, you’ll know that I already have a few take-out meatball renditions on the blog, like these beef and broccoli meatballs and these orange chicken meatballs. I wanted to continue that theme with these Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs, which happens to be one of my favorite take-out dishes. I think it’s the peanuts in the sauce. Serve them with cooked white or brown rice and you’ll win dinner at your house, I promise.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and scallions just until evenly combined. Form and roll into twelve meatballs, placing them on a baking sheet or plate.
**Note: This is my standard meatball base recipe which I tweak just a bit with different flavorings that lend itself to this particular dish.**
Set a large skillet over moderate heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, place the meatballs into the hot skillet in a single layer. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through in the center, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the meatballs onto a plate and set aside.
**Tip: Alternately, you can cook the meatballs on a greased baking sheet in a 375°F oven for about 18 to 20 minutes. I like doing this sometimes because it’s less messy and a lot easier than having to babysit them on the stove.**
Return skillet to heat over high and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the scallion, ginger, peppercorns, chiles and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
**Tip: You want to keep this mixture moving because of the high heat, you don’t want the garlic or ginger to burn which would ruin the dish’s flavor!**
Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, wine, and potato starch. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and just starting to thicken, about 1 minute.
Return the meatballs to the skillet and add in the peanuts. Toss to combine and cook over low until the meatballs have warmed through again and are fully coated in the sauce.
Turn off the heat and serve immediately with cooked white rice (or brown rice if you want to be a bit healthier) and garnish with more sliced scallion on top, for a pop of color and also for taste.
It’s such an easy recipe, that cooks super quickly, and so what I recommend is to pre-measure out all of your sauce ingredients and have them ready to just drop into the skillet when needed. I mean, you should be doing this for all recipes because it makes cooking a lot easier and faster, but for this recipe in particular.
This should serve about 4, but if you’re anything like me, 3 meatballs probably won’t be enough so really, it’s more like 2.5 really generous portions. Listen, I’m not judging as long as you don’t judge me for eating so many meatballs. They’re made with chicken after all and so they’re healthy, right?
Skip the take-out and make these Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs for yourself instead. It’ll be on the table faster than ordering in and waiting for delivery, and the best part is that it won’t make you feel as guilty afterward. So it’s a win win really. Give it a try and let me know what you think below. Stay safe out there my friends!
Kung Pao Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 medium scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil such as canola or vegetable
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil such as canola or vegetable
- 2 medium scallions thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns or more to taste
- 10 to 12 dried small red chiles Tien Tsin or chile de árbol
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce or more to taste
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons potato starch or corn starch
- 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
- Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and scallions just until evenly combined. Form and roll into twelve meatballs, placing them on a baking sheet or plate.
- Set a large skillet over moderate heat with 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, place the meatballs into the hot skillet in a single layer. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through in the center, about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the meatballs onto a plate and set aside.
- Return skillet to heat over high and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the scallion, ginger, peppercorns, chiles and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, wine, and potato starch. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and just starting to thicken, about 1 minute. Return the meatballs to the skillet and add in the peanuts. Toss to combine and cook over low until the meatballs have warmed through. Remove from heat and serve immediately with cooked white rice and a garnish of sliced scallion. Enjoy!
Notes
I have ground pork and ground beef in the freezer…think this would work with one those? 🤔
Totally! Ground pork would be great!